WSJ: Petraeus pushed out after defending CIA over Benghazi?

posted at 8:01 am on November 15, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

A few days ago, one report on l’affaire Petraeus had CIA Director David Petraeus thinking that he would survive the exposure of an extramarital sexual relationship with his biographer Paula Broadwell. That idea received a round of mirthful derision, but a new report about Petraeus’ last days at the CIA suggests that his resignation had a lot less to do with sexual and e-mail indiscretions than first thought, too. The Wall Street Journal’s look at the fall of Petraeus focuses on the singular and noteworthy CIA timeline issued to defend itself in the debate over the terrorist attack in Benghazi, and suggests that the Obama administration wanted Petraeus out because of it (via Instapundit):

In David Petraeus’s final days at the helm of the Central Intelligence Agency, his relations with chiefs of other U.S. agencies, including his boss, National Intelligence Director James Clapper, took a contentious turn.

At issue was whether the CIA should break its silence about its role in Benghazi, Libya, to counter criticism that increasingly was being leveled at the agency and Mr. Petraeus, said senior officials involved in the discussions.

Mr. Petraeus wanted his aides to push back hard and release their own timeline of the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi and a nearby CIA safe house, seeking to set the record straight and paint the CIA’s role in a more favorable light. Mr. Clapper and agencies including the Pentagon objected, but Mr. Petraeus told his aides to proceed, said the senior officials.

By all accounts, the driving force behind Mr. Petraeus’s departure last Friday was the revelation about his extramarital affair with his biographer. But new details about Mr. Petraeus’s last days at the CIA show the extent to which the Benghazi attacks created a climate of interagency finger-pointing. That undercut the retired four-star general’s backing within the Obama administration as he struggled with the decision to resign.

The aftermath of Benghazi has been one of constantly shifting stories and fingerpointing, driven mainly by the White House’s attempts to shift the blame for the debacle away from their own decisions on security and foreign policy. For almost two weeks, the Obama administration tried to put most of the blame on a months-old YouTube video, and when that story fell apart, they immediately blamed the intelligence community for that claim.

That started an avalanche of it-wasn’t-us-it-was-them leaks from within the State Department, CIA, and Pentagon that finally allowed much of the actual truth of what happened to come to light, even while the administration balks at cooperating with House and Senate committees. The CIA’s decision to release an official timeline put pressure on Leon Panetta to do the same for the Defense Department, and left the White House walking around without a chair when the music stopped.

That doesn’t mean, of course, that the CIA timeline is definitively true and non-self-serving, of course. But without it, we’d probably still be waiting for officials to go on the record to explain their actions before, during, and after the Benghazi attack, and we might even still be talking about a YouTube video.

All of this is an interesting context for Petraeus’ sudden offer to talk to both intel committees, starting tomorrow, behind closed doors. Petraeus may have nothing more to offer than just a personal recapitulation of what we know already, delivered to give Congress closure and end the distraction of his absence. It could also be that Petraeus has decided to up the ante and add a few more pertinent points to the CIA timeline, perhaps even including how he ended up backing the false spontaneous-demonstration story when briefing Congress. Lyndon Johnson once said he’d rather have a particularly annoying critic on the inside of the tent looking out (I’m paraphrasing) than on the outside of the tent looking in, and the Obama administration may end up realizing the wisdom of LBJ in this instance.

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1.6 trillion in tax hikes.
More investment in green energy.
“Come after me”

All in all, he is felling pretty good about the election results.
Methinks he’ll blow that political capital BEFORE his inauguration.

Jabberwock on November 14, 2012 at 4:56 PM

If the Republican come up with a plan to only grant the illegal immigrants renewable working permits “without the path to citizenship” then it would not be called amnesty… In fact that is the most practical solution to the illegal immigration issue…

The CIA’s decision to release an official timeline put pressure on Leon Panetta to do the same for the Defense Department, and left the White House walking around without a chair when the music stopped.

So we have gone from empty to no chair…well played Capt. Ed, well played indeed…..

If the Republican come up with a plan to only grant the illegal immigrants renewable working permits “without the path to citizenship” then it would not be called amnesty… In fact that is the most practical solution to the illegal immigration issue…

The MSM and Republicans are similar in one way…they both love a good scandal. I’m not saying this isn’t important but you have to push your agenda as well. Right now the other party is doing just that while we take our eyes off the prize.

If the Republican come up with a plan to only grant the illegal immigrants renewable working permits “without the path to citizenship” then it would not be called amnesty… In fact that is the most practical solution to the illegal immigration issue…
mnjg on November 15, 2012 at 8:14 AM

Yes, why don’t they just do that? And actually secure the border. We should never, ever permit any illegal alien to get citizenship now or any time in the future. No group should be able to leapfrog over other people waiting years for green cards. We have immigration laws and they need to be enforced.

The MSM and Republicans are similar in one way…they both love a good scandal. I’m not saying this isn’t important but you have to push your agenda as well. Right now the other party is doing just that while we take our eyes off the prize.

tomas on November 15, 2012 at 8:14 AM

On the contrary, it seems to me the Republicans are trying to continue to focus on events that occurred in Benghazi despite the extramarital affair issues surrounding Petraeus. So, I guess I disagree.

Why does his testimony have to be behind closed doors? I don’t understand why we all can’t watch it live.

bluegill on November 15, 2012 at 8:06 AM

Because they will be discussing classified information, and I hope to hell that Petraeus will tell them exactly what went on in Benghazi and exactly what the CIA operation there was and on whose orders the CIA was operating.

Yes, why don’t they just do that? And actually secure the border. We should never, ever permit any illegal alien to get citizenship now or any time in the future. No group should be able to leapfrog over other people waiting years for green cards. We have immigration laws and they need to be enforced.

bluegill on November 15, 2012 at 8:18 AM

I totally agree… Even Rush Limbaugh suggested something similar if I recall…

If Petraeus was pushed out for defending the CIA but the administration leaked all this TMZ-level crap as a convenient excuse, then that makes things all the more chilling. Is Eric Holder a modern-day J Edgar Hoover with dirt on key Americans that is being used to manipulate things like Congressional testimony? And for the record, Holder would be able to rock a dress in ways that Hoover could not.

If the Republican come up with a plan to only grant the illegal immigrants renewable working permits “without the path to citizenship” then it would not be called amnesty… In fact that is the most practical solution to the illegal immigration issue…

If Petraeus was pushed out for defending the CIA but the administration leaked all this TMZ-level crap as a convenient excuse, then that makes things all the more chilling. Is Eric Holder a modern-day J Edgar Hoover with dirt on key Americans that is being used to manipulate things like Congressional testimony?

Happy Nomad on November 15, 2012 at 8:33 AM

Of course not. Benghazi was the result of the youtube clip. The Obamacare mandate is a tax, not a penalty. Lightsquared’s high powered use of GPS frequencies at cell towers will not interfere with GPS services. No intimidation going on. nothing to see here, move along. No, seriously – move along!

One has to wonder when The Chicago thugs will run out of affairs for the lsm to chase.
I hope GP tells the truth but at some point, someone will. The pressure on any of these individuals with a sense of right and wrong (very few) has got to be incredible.

I had forgotten about that General who complained that the administration provided “suggestions” about his testimony which, surprise!, favored going ahead with Lightsquared’s disproven testimony. And, coincidentally, guess what company gave millions to Obama’s campaign.

I’m telling you, this whole distraction of an affair stinks to high heaven.

If Petraeus was pushed out for defending the CIA but the administration leaked all this TMZ-level crap as a convenient excuse…

Happy Nomad on November 15, 2012 at 8:33 AM

Yes, recent accounts are that Petraeus was pushed out for defending the CIA. The sex thingy was not just a convenient excuse, but also a way to destroy his credibility. After all, who can believe a man who cheats on his wife?

We have been wondering why the FBI would ever initiate a serious investigation of charges as mundane as Jill Kelley’s. Here’s the answer: The investigation was politically motivated and driven from on high. Eric Holder strikes again.

Petraeus was just another useful idiot to Obama, appointed to CIA as CIA director to remove him as potential competition during the 2012 elections. When Benghazi exploded, the “semi-Democrat” was eyed as the scapegoat and thrown under the bus.

If Petraeus has a shred of honesty, character and integrity left, he’ll do what is right and tell the truth and not cover for the Obama administration.

Susan Rice was another dupe who is in the same league with Stephanie Cutter and Bill Burton, pathological liars extrordinaire. Why in the world would the UN Ambassador go on the talk shows? It should have been Panetta or Hillary. But like the political cats they are with nine lives, they disappeared and landed on their feet.

No man by definition is perfect. Petraeus lapsed into human. In the end, faced with I believe Executive Brance blackmail involving Benghazi, Petraeus showed he is, in the end, an Honorable man and outed his personal human failings to stop the blackmail. The MSM/Press love nothing better than sex; especially when they are desperate to hide the truth from the American people.

Can anyone think of a scandal big enough te really take Obama down. Even if he did give the order to stand down and is proved to have lied about it all. He wont step down on his own and repubs wont try to impeach him it wouldnt get through the senate. Not to mention the fact we’d still be stuck with an easily controlled joe biden. Even if it severely weakened Obama he will still push everything he wants through and continue to demonize and destroy his opponents with no difference to the constitution. I honestly think he’s prepared to go off the cliff blame it on republicans and they will cave in and put the tax cuts he wants if he even wants any back into place. We’re gonna throw Israel under the bus too and Bibi knows it.

The president didn’t really answer any questions yesterday, he was his smug, defiant, arrogant old self with nothing new to say about anything. Same tired rhetoric. No one asked him where he was on 9/11 and why he felt it was ok to fly off to Vegas and campaign while an embassy was being attacked. I miss the days when we actually had investigative reporting.

The sex set up was to pay Bill back for campaigning for him. They needed to take out a 2016 player. And then Benghazi happened. It all got as wrapped up as a Saturday night at Barney Franks house.
The unadulterated truth about Benghazi needs to be made clear to the people at this time. Until then, we need to press on.
Heros need to stand up and clear this up.
Also, the Clinton Era Tax increases need to be reinstated. The Libs own this and need to choke on it. Just keeping the GWB tax cuts on the <250k should not be an option. All or nothing baby.

It will be interesting to see if all that military code of responsibility keeps Petraeus from telling the truth and letting te chips fall where they will. Will he still “take one” for the boss?

For all those excusing the General for his personal misbehavior – a 4 star General is the top of the food chain in the military and if he is not expected to follow ALL the rules no grunt below him will respect him. Screwing around with that woman reflected poor judgement and that is what shouldn’t be excused.

wtf was Obama doing on the 11th? Where was he, what were his orders? No investigation needed. Just answer the darn questions.

Slade73 on November 15, 2012 at 8:51 AM

Let’s wildly speculate here…Was Obama doing drugs? Or taking orders from the muslim brotherhood? Or maybe he was doing drugs with some muslim brotherhood guys in the FBI and couldn’t be bothered. Any other ideas?

BP Oil Company employees face manslaughter charges for the BP oil rig explosion, but all the Lyin kINGS horses and men skate for the Murder of nearly 20 Seals. Two in Bengahzi and 18 when the Lyin kING spiked the Osmam Bin Barrack football and outed Seal Team Six!

Remember that Amb. Stevens was appointed by Obama and put through the Senate. Stevens was the man chosen for that job, to be in that place at that time.

The CIA was running an operation there and, at the very least, was working with the nascent government to get its capacity up to some working order. That means that they have a slew of leads, contacts and personnel that they have helped and get INTEL from them on the happenings of AQIM in Libya.

Gunrunning from Libya was going on moving MANPADs from Libya to the Syrian ‘rebels’ who happen to be the MB with close ties to AQIM.

AQIM was already running guns from Libya and taking arms sent to some tribes and funneling them out of the country to places like Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger. Libyan tribesmen loyal to the late regime also left with much military equipment to tribal lands that go across National boundaries.

For AQIM there are valuable targets in Benghazi and they would most certainly like to know who is pointing them out to the CIA. Through intermediaries they may even have been using Stevens to move MANPADs from Libya to Syria. Thus capturing Stevens is a multi-fold win: press attention, pumping him for information, and finding out what he knows about AQIM operations and what operatives he knows are giving INTEL to the CIA. That failed. The next target is the CIA operational post with the same basic aim: press, information and COINTEL. That failed due to 2 Navy SEALs.

Patraeus was the head of the CIA and must have known what was going on and may have been putting together the larger picture. Sucks that he had an affair. His information on what was going on and why is vital and should not be given to the enemy. His testimony serves that purpose and one other: he can give a military assessment of the state of affairs of the US Armed Forces in Africa and Europe and some insight as to the credibility of the Pentagon 19 hour timeline to any response.

The affair is to distract from what is going on.

Operative word, as with Clinton: ‘is’.

And that does have a plethora of meanings. What the hell is going on with the US in North Africa and the Middle East? And why is AQIM profiting and expanding power with every step we take? Why?

Ok here is My take on Petraeus -CIA-Triage. I have No sympathy. He knew the rules, he knew he was breaking them. How many times in his career did he take action against a subordinate for the same action? This goes for General Allen and Ltc Broadwell.
It’s a slander against all the men and woman that serve this country, some giving their lives and played by the rules. Yet these people we want to give a pass solely because they are petty demagogs.
I’ve said it before but keep it in mind. Full Cornel is the highest rank in the Army. General Ranks are Congressional Appointment. Congress gives and Congress can take it away. At any time. Broadwell is an actively participating Ltc in the Army reserves and as such is subject for violations of the UCMJ even if it is outside her position in the Army Reserves.

Again I ask how many careers of people did they end that did the same thing.

Lyndon Johnson once said he’d rather have a particularly annoying critic on the inside of the tent looking out (I’m paraphrasing) than on the outside of the tent looking in, and the Obama administration may end up realizing the wisdom of LBJ in this instance.

Unless the “O” figures he has enough leverage to keep him quiet. They haven’t threatened criminal charges yet. Is that the next shoe to drop on the General’s head?